


But Strangely They Feel At Home In This Place

by A_Plethora_Of_Peters, Alienea, IgnotusSomnium, Juan_Pujol_Garcia, octovoid128, Sinna



Series: The Inherent Romanticism of Dragons [19]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, Fluff, Found Family, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:09:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27082453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Plethora_Of_Peters/pseuds/A_Plethora_Of_Peters, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alienea/pseuds/Alienea, https://archiveofourown.org/users/IgnotusSomnium/pseuds/IgnotusSomnium, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juan_Pujol_Garcia/pseuds/Juan_Pujol_Garcia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/octovoid128/pseuds/octovoid128, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinna/pseuds/Sinna
Summary: Adjusting to a new home is always a process. Navigating newfound relationships can only further complicate things.(Or, the castle quartet tries to learn where they fit in the Hoard)
Relationships: Drumbot Brian/Jonny d'Ville, Ivy Alexandria/Ashes O'Reilly, Ivy Alexandria/Nastya Rasputina, The Aurora/Nastya Rasputina, The Mechanisms Ensemble/The Mechanisms Ensemble
Series: The Inherent Romanticism of Dragons [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1832185
Comments: 21
Kudos: 109





	1. Chapter 1

It’s well past midnight by the time the group reaches the dragon’s - Ashes, Jonny reminds himself, might as well get used to being on familiar terms with a fucking dragon now - _Ashes’s_ home. The looming dark maw of the cave entrance before them is just about what Jonny had expected, but they’re ushered inside before they have time to develop any reservations about the ominous lair. The inside is surprisingly well-lit, but it doesn’t really take much light to accomplish that when there’s so much gold laying around. Jonny takes a brief moment to share an incredulous glance with Nastya before following their...new hosts, apparently, past the mounds of coins and precious gems.

Ashes leads them into a surprisingly cozy kitchen, shifting human to fit the smaller area. Jonny refuses to let this reduction in size and fanginess get his guard down - their eyes are just as sharp and calculating in this form, after all, even if their teeth are blunter. He keeps half an eye on Brian, though - poor bastard looks even more overwhelmed than Jonny feels right now. He half-notices Aurora leaping from Nastya’s brazier into the hearth fire, but honestly the enigmatic fire spirit is real damn low on his priority list right now.

Ashes clears their throat and waves around the kitchen. “Feel free to help yourself to anything. Bedrooms are just down this hall, all but the first three are available. I’m going to give you all a bit of space, I’ll be by the entrance if you need anything.” And they leave, just as the archivist - when had she broken off from the group, anyway? Jonny mentally curses himself for failing to keep track of something so simple - enters, arms full of papers.

Ivy, she'd said to call her? Doesn't matter, probably isn't a real name - turns to Brian and holds out the papers. He takes them, looking ~~adorably~~ confused. “Some of the important events of the past decade,” she explains. “I thought you might want an overview of what you missed.”

Brian blinks, then smiles brightly at her. “I - thank you very much.” He carefully collects the papers and vanishes into one of the rooms. 

Jonny turns the full force of his suspicious gaze on Ivy, who seems remarkably unimpressed. “I’m sure Ashes said this already, but you two are welcome to any of the remaining open rooms,” she tells him and Nastya. “I’ll be in the library. Goodnight.” She turns and leaves. Jonny meets Nastya’s eyes and shrugs, choosing a bedroom at random and poking around for traps.

-

Jonny waits as long as his worn-thin patience can manage before going to search for the archivist. He hesitates briefly outside of Brian’s door. Should he - no. Princes are valuable, they wouldn’t hurt him. And he isn’t Jonny’s responsibility anyway, so he’s being doubly stupid. Jonny shakes his head and wanders into the Hoard, using a small lick of flame to light his way.

Eventually he finds the library. It's one hell of a maze - isn’t an archivist supposed to organize things? When he sees Ivy, he isn't sure whether he should knock on a nearby bookshelf or announce himself or what, so he does both.

"Archivist, hey."

She looks up at him. He puts her expression as slightly surprised, but not worried. A bit reckless of her, really, what if he’d been planning to stab her? Whatever. Her lack of survival instincts are not his fucking problem.

“Oh, hello. It’s Jonny, right?”

"Yeah, that's me. Do you have some time?"

“I do. What can I help you with?” Ivy sets her book to the side, folding her hands in her lap.

Jonny awkwardly stands where he is, fidgeting slightly under her scrutiny.

"What's really going on here? There's no way something strong enough to challenge Her Floweriness just...lets people stay in their home."

Ivy blinks at him. “I mean. That kind of is what’s going on?”

Jonny frowns. "That doesn't make any _sense_!"

Ivy studies him for a long moment.

“There’s no catch here. I know you don’t have any reason to believe me when I say that, but it’s the truth. I’m more than happy to answer any specific questions you have.”

No catch. As if. 

"How do I know you're not lying so we'll sign our lives away?" Again, he does not say.

“I swear to you on my Name that we are not deceiving you and intend no harm.” Her expression is solemn.

Jonny pauses. He's never heard someone swear by their Name. They'll swear on holy things, but even the worst of those asshole knights wouldn't be stupid enough to swear by their Names. It's too dangerous by far.

"I don't understand anything," he says quietly, feeling completely lost.

“Do you. Want to sit down, while you figure out other questions?” Ivy offers, looking vaguely concerned again. 

Why not? Jonny nods. He takes the closest chair and sits down. Ivy moves her own chair over to sit across from him.

Jonny's brain is spinning, struggling to come up with explanations. "You do things for them, though, right? Like maintain the library."

“I _made_ the library,” Ivy corrects him. “And technically it’s theirs, but I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t enjoy it.”

This just confuses Jonny more. "But _why_ , then? Protecting people like this isn't worth the trouble if you don't get anything out of it."

Ivy smiles faintly. “I have something to show you that might clarify things a little? If you’ll follow me?” She stands.

"I- Fine." Jonny gets up, hands in his pockets.

Ivy leads him deeper into the lair, eventually passing out of the library and into - a tapestry exhibit? This area of the lair is even more confusing, the corridors smaller and more labyrinthine. Jonny refuses to chicken out, though - it’s not like the location really makes a difference if Ivy decides to kill him. 

Ivy opens a door. It’s the first real door Jonny’s seen outside of the human quarters. Jonny follows her in and looks around. It’s just a bunch of shitty knick-knacks, random bits of crap any street kid could’ve made. None of the items seem to deserve the careful display and detailed placards they’ve been given. 

"What the hell is this for?"

“You asked what they’re getting out of this?” Ivy waves around the room. “Ashes _likes_ people. The protecting is its own reward, to them.”

Jonny squints at a few of the labels, in case he’s missing something. They're all incredibly boring. 

"People don't _do_ that."

Ivy shrugs. “Ashes does.”

Jonny is confused, and it's making him angry. He wants to destroy something, but he knows if he damages anything in the dragon's hoard he's in for a world of hurt. 

"Fine! Fuck it! You've got the one nice dragon in the entire world who lives on butterfly farts and wishes. I'll just join the happy little band of weirdos, then! Makes perfect fucking sense!"

Ivy tilts her head to the side. She seems a bit confused, but not even remotely afraid of him. 

“Do you. Want to go set something on fire? We’ll need to go outside but that is an option.”

She's even being nice about how pissed off he's getting, and the entire thing just makes Jonny more upset. How dare she? How dare she act like this is _normal_ , like people just don't expect things from other people, don't use them? Jonny lets out a strangled sound and stomps off, too angry to think straight, let alone talk. He’s just gonna - go find something to explode. Maybe then things will make some sort of fucking sense.

-

After his talk with Ivy and some cathartic destruction of innocent trees, Jonny makes it back to the corridor with the bedrooms. He doesn't even pause at the room he's been assigned. Instead he knocks on Nastya's door. 

"Hey, it's me," he says. She probably can't sleep here either, so he's not worried about waking her up.

Nastya opens the door almost immediately, still fully clothed. She steps to the side to let him in. 

"Hey."

He walks in. 

"This place is fucking crazy."

Nastya snorts and closes the door. "Yeah." She sits down on the edge of the bed. "It's...weird."

Jonny sits down next to her. 

"I asked the Archivist what the dragon gets out of it. She showed me a bunch of crappy things made by random villagers. Just junk. Are there dragons that hoard junk?"

Nastya furrows her brow. "I...don't know. I've never heard of it, but I don't know that much about dragons." She pauses. "If they're telling the truth...If they really can offer us protection, and they really don't want anything in return other than for us to live here...It. It might be nice, to not have to run anymore. To not be afraid." She looks at him. "But not if you're not comfortable with it... I'd rather be on the run with you until the day I die than let you feel like a prisoner again. If you don't want to stay, we're not staying."

Jonny doesn't look at her. In a small voice he admits, "I'm tired of running. I just can't believe they don't have some ulterior motive. It doesn't make any _sense_."

Nastya rests her head on his shoulder. 

"It's a strange thought," she says quietly. "That someone would just... give you something, without demanding that you give up a piece of yourself for it. I have trouble wrapping my head around it too. But maybe... I don't know. We've had so little for so long. Maybe it's our turn. Maybe we get to have this."

Jonny leans into her. 

"I hope so," he says. "We can't run forever." Rather, _he_ can't. They might still be young now but he's going to get old and die long before she's even considered an adult to the fae. He tries not to think of that. He doesn't want her to be alone.

Nastya sighs. "We can take our time. Feel this place out before we commit to anything. Even if we end up leaving, we'll have had a free roof over our heads for a few days."

Jonny nods. He reaches over and hugs her. "Don't do something as stupid as kissing a mysterious fire again."

Nastya laughs and hugs him back. 

"I won't." She squeezes him tightly before letting go. "Would you... stay here tonight? It's weird, sleeping here." Sleeping alone, she doesn’t say.

Jonny relaxes slightly, glad she asked. 

"Yes. I couldn't sleep in that bed. Too soft." Too vulnerable, he doesn't say.

Nastya grins. "They _are_ too soft. It's weird." She scoots back and lies down on the bed, leaving room for Jonny.

Jonny lays down next to her. 

"How _do_ people sleep without straw poking their backs?" Once he'd known how, but fairy beds are like a distant dream now.

"No idea." She doesn't quite cuddle him, but she does make sure she's close to him, facing him. 

"G'night, Nastya," he says before closing his eyes. 

"Night, Jonny."

His mind is still a mess from the conversation earlier, so it takes him a long time to get to sleep. He doesn’t mind, though, when he can tell that Nastya is right there beside him.

-

_There are knives and vials of elixirs and Jonny is hiding again all he ever does is run and hide he turns the corner and the Queen is there in all her terrible glory and she puts her hand over his chest_ and he wakes up, gasping, clutching at the spot where his heart should be.

Nastya jolts out of sleep next to him with a sharp inhale. After a second of bleary confusion, she sits up and puts a hand on his arm. 

"It's okay, Jonny. You're here. You're safe. I'm with you."

Jonny pulls her into a hug. Nastya is here, she's real.

Nastya holds him tight, rubbing his back. "It's alright," she murmurs. "You're okay."

Jonny doesn't say anything for a while, just holds her tight. 

"She still has it," he says, quietly. "She'll always have it."

Nastya's grip tightens momentarily. It takes her a moment to respond. 

"It's just a symbol," she says softly. "I hate that she has it, and now that we know a dragon I think we should seriously consider a heist, but it doesn't change anything about you, Jonny. You still feel. She hasn't taken that. She can't."

He knows that, but it feels good to hear her say it. 

"A heist? From her?"

Nastya grins. "Could be fun."

Could never happen. But there’s no harm in pondering it, not here and now. 

"That would be amazing. I'd love to see the look on her face."

"Me too. She'd be furious,” Nastya laughs.

"Serve her right." Jonny thinks about it for a moment. " _If_ we decide to stay, we'll bring it up with the dragon."

"Perfect." Nastya pulls back so she can look at him, but doesn't stop touching him. "Do you want to go back to sleep or do you want to do something else? We could go explore some more."

"I don't think I can sleep anymore," Jonny admits.

Nastya nods. "Let's go for a walk. Or would you rather stay here? I should have a deck of cards, I think."

He shakes his head. "Walk sounds good."

"Alright." She gets up off the bed and stretches a bit.

Jonny does the same. He's a bit nervous about running into Ivy again, but it's better than being stuck in a room with his thoughts.

Nastya opens the door and steps outside, waiting for Jonny. She smiles at him. Jonny follows. 

"Let's go this way." He points out at the hoard in the opposite direction from the library.

"Sure." 

Nastya seems content to follow his lead. They wander for a while, peering over gilded picture frames and intricate sculptures, before they find one particularly large room. It is filled wall to wall with instruments.

"Oh..." Nastya’s mouth is agape as she slowly approaches a beautifully carved violin. She reaches towards it hesitantly.

"Wow." Jonny looks over the instruments. There are so many, of all sorts of styles. He reaches out and strums an ancient lute. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees this give Nastya the confidence to carefully pick up the violin, holding it like it's a sacred relic.

There are instruments here Jonny has never even seen. Things with buttons and weird creases, with only one string, with cranks. Exotic and bizarre instruments, all beautiful in their own way, some outshining even the masterpieces he used to hear in the Court.

Jonny hides a smile as Nastya starts tuning the violin. He hasn’t heard her play in so long - violins are expensive, after all. He’s...he isn’t grateful to Carmilla for much, but that she gave Nastya the opportunity to play? That’s on the list. When she plays the opening notes of Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight, he simply has to sing along.

Nastya glances toward the doorway and startles, strings squeaking. Jonny stops singing, whirling around to see Ashes leaning in human shape against the doorway. Nastya manages to speak before he can pull himself together. 

"Sorry, we were— Sorry."

"Don't apologize,” Ashes says, their smile...surprisingly non-threatening, all things considered. “That was lovely."

Nastya still looks worried. "I'm sorry for touching your things, I just— I haven't played in a long time."

Jonny places himself between Ashes and Nastya as subtly as he can. "I started it."

Ashes smiles. "Don't worry about it. You can't break them, and it’s good to see them being used."

Jonny and Nastya make baffled eye contact, then Nastya speaks. 

"You...don't mind?"

"Not at all. You can use the library as well, as long as you listen to Ivy's rules, and if you find anything you'd like to use, you're welcome to ask about borrowing it."

Jonny's eyebrows rise. "Seriously? Just like that?"

Nastya hesitates for a moment. "Can I... Can I borrow this violin, then?"

"You can," Ashes tells her. They raise an eyebrow at Jonny. "What else would I do with all this?"

He frowns. "I don't know. Rich people like having stuff they never let people touch."

"And I like setting rich people on fire," Ashes replies with a grin. Their numerous teeth are too sharp for their human shape. Nastya gives a startled laugh.

Jonny is still suspicious, but he can't really argue with that. 

"It is fun."

"You have experience?" Ashes asks. They look delighted. It’s a bit unnerving.

"A little," Jonny says. "Usually I shoot them with pressure magic, but fire is great to distract people."

"I suppose that's understandable, given you aren't a dragon. But setting rich people on fire is very satisfying."

"Yeah, probably is," Jonny allows. He is very confused by this conversation. Ashes seems very pleased with themself for some reason, and he has no idea what he could have said to cause that.

"If you ever want to team up, I'd be happy to have you along."

"Uh. Yeah, sure." Jonny gives Nastya a look like _what is going on?_ She just smiles and steps slightly closer to him with a shrug. She - oh, that’s her “aww, look at Jonny bonding” face. Ugh. If there weren’t a dragon watching them he’d flip her off, but Jonny settles for a glare. Nastya is, shockingly, unremorseful.

Ashes grins. "Perfect. Sounds like fun."

Jonny makes a strained sort of attempt at a smile. He's making plans to destroy things with a _dragon_. What is his life. 

"Do you. Uh. Have any particular rich assholes in mind or do you just," he gestures vaguely, "find them?"

"The amount of gold I'm sitting on does mean they have a tendency to announce their presence,” Ashes remarks dryly.

Well, now that they’ve said it that seems obvious. 

"Okay, yeah, that's fair. Greedy fucks seriously think they can take you on?"

"Some of them. That's how Marius ended up here."

"Why didn't you kill him, then?" Jonny has not met this Marius yet, but an assassination attempt doesn’t exactly seem like an auspicious start to a friendship.

"I wasn't going to kill some poor sap who got sent here to die. And he was worried about Ivy."

"Oh. Okay." Jonny doesn't know how to respond to that intelligently. Unfortunately he keeps talking. "You just like taking in sad bastards without any other options, huh?"

"If you want to see it like that," Ashes says. "I don't."

"How do you see it, then?" he asks, voice more cautious now.

Ashes shrugs. "I take in interesting people."

Jonny gives them a weird look, because as far as he's concerned he is not interesting people. But he doesn't say anything.

Nastya shifts closer to Jonny, face just as skeptical as his probably is. "Why do you think we're interesting?"

"You walked into a cursed castle to rescue a prince. That's pretty interesting, don't you think?" They hesitate. "And, even if I didn't find you interesting, I would still offer you shelter, because you're running from Carmilla."

Jonny frowns. "I know she did something to your Archivist." He's not going to ask them for their trauma, but he is bleakly curious what Carmilla did to them.

"She did. I already hated her long before I met Ivy though."

Nastya keeps her eyes on the ground, quiet and tense. Jonny pauses to glance at her before asking, "Why?"

"Do you want the short answer or the long one?"

Jonny studies Nastya. "Short works."

Nastya looks up and gives Jonny a small smile.

"She hurt me," Ashes says, voice flat. They don’t elaborate.

Jonny snorts humorlessly. "Yeah, that's what she does."

"It seems so," Ashes agrees.

Jonny doesn't know what you say to a dragon, period, let alone one who might have shared trauma with you. Once the silence grows painfully awkward he throws his hands in the air. 

"Fine! Fine, I'll stop asking what you want from us. Happy?"

Ashes laughs. "I do appreciate it."

Nastya smiles slightly. "Good, well. We should be getting back, probably. Don't you think, Jonny?"

"Yeah. Sure." Jonny doesn’t move. He isn't going anywhere with a dragon in the way.

Ashes moves aside, giving them a clear path to the door. 

"Of course. Thank you for playing for me."

Nastya rushes to correct them. "Oh, we— We weren't really playing for you, we didn't know you'd hear."

"Of course,” Ashes agrees easily. “Either way, it was lovely."

"Thank you. I'm glad you thought so." Nastya nudges Jonny. "Come on."

Jonny is still frowning at the "for me" part of their statement, but he doesn't say anything. When Nastya nudges him he follows her out.

Nastya leads Jonny back to their room, clutching her borrowed violin. 

"I was sure we'd get in trouble," she murmurs.

"Fuck. Yeah. We aren't dead."

Nastya laughs a bit. "We're not. Go figure."

He holds a hand up for a high five. Nastya obliges him with a smile.

"Maybe it isn't a trap," he says, very quietly.

Nastya is silent for a moment. 

"Maybe it isn't," she agrees. "It...seems nice. They seem...happy. Like they care about each other."

"Yeah..." Jonny has heard of people like that, of course. Families that care and protect each other. But those are stories. "Ivy and Ashes, at least."

"Yeah." They reach the bedroom, and Nastya opens the door and steps inside. She carefully puts the violin down on a table, then tries to stifle a yawn. "I think I should get some more sleep..."

"That was fucking exhausting," Jonny agrees. He plops down on the bed.

Nastya lies down and curls up next to him. "We'll be okay," she says quietly. "Wherever we end up."

"Always," he promises. "Us against the world, right?"

Nastya smiles. "Us against the world," she echoes.


	2. Chapter 2

Brian set his reading material aside with an exhausted sigh. To him, the attempted takeover of Galfridian and Snow's rebellion were just yesterday, not years ago. As informative as these papers were, they just left him feeling more disoriented than ever. He nervously paced the length of his room, glancing at the hearth. Eventually he worked up the courage to kneel in front of it. 

"Umm...A-Aurora? Are you there?"

“Hello.” When he addresses her, the flames swirl into a human shape, mirroring his posture. 

Brian blinks at her sudden manifestation. "O-Oh! Hello! I was just...Ummm...I was wondering how you're settling in? Is everything to your liking here?"

“I am quite well, Prince Brian. Are you content?”

Brain winces. "You...don't have to call me Prince anymore. Just Brian is fine."

Aurora’s flames flicker slightly. Brian can’t tell whether it’s an intentional expression on her part or just a faint draft. “Okay. Are you content, Brian?”

Brian folded his arms on the edge of the hearth and shrugged. "More content here than back at the castle."

Aurora frowns. “Given my knowledge of your situation, that is a very low bar.”

"....Ashes is already far kinder than Un-” He cuts himself off. “...than Cole ever was."

Aurora huffs, sounding thoroughly unimpressed with that statement. “A lower bar yet.” She studies him.

"I like it here." Brian says. "It's...Everyone seems to be treating me like a normal person. It’s nice. And you - how is…” He trails off, gesturing vaguely.

Luckily, Aurora seems to understand. “I am in all of the fires here, but not bound to them as I was back at the castle. I am free to move between and out of them as I please and as my strength allows. It’s - I don’t know the words, not exactly, but it is a great improvement. I think I will be content here.”

Brian’s shoulders relax slightly. "I am glad to hear that," he says quietly.

Aurora reaches forward to awkwardly pat his shoulder. Brian freezes at the contact, then leans into her touch. She's so warm. Aurora hesitates for a moment, then engulfs him in a hug, dropping her humanoid shape in the process.

Brian's eyes widen as he's surrounded by fire. He's scared, but only for a brief moment. The fire is warm and gentle around him. There is no threat here. 

Aurora crackles soothingly. Brian swallows back a sob. Her presence feels...safe. "I-I'm sorry..."

“What for?” Her voice resonates oddly with him engulfed in her flames.

"That you were imprisoned by him for so long."

“I could say the same.”

"I don't matter."

Aurora flares hot for a second with rage, then forcibly gets her temperature under control. "What."

Brian flinches at the intense heat. "I don't matter. Not as a person."

Aurora gently flickers flames over his face. “No one here believes that.”

"I do." Brian quietly said.

Aurora tightens her hug. Brian relaxes at the warmth and pressure. "Everyone...Everyone is...They're helping."

“Good.”

"I'm scared though. How...How can I know whether I actually c-care about them or just about the fact that they're kind to me?"

Aurora hesitates. “I don’t know. I think...it might just take time?”

"Mmmm...That does sound like the best course of action..."

Aurora crackles a sigh. “Hardly the most exciting, though.”

"I'm used to waiting." Brian says softly. "I can wait a bit longer."

Aurora sighs and hugs him tighter. Brian is a bit unsure of how to hug a flame surrounding him but he will try.

Aurora laughs quietly and solidifies a part of herself in his arms. Brian smiles gratefully and holds her.

“I’m in all the fireplaces. If you talk to me, I’ll hear you.”

"Thank you, Aurora." Brian smiles at her as she retreats back into the hearth. Aurora’s flames linger around him for a moment longer as she dissolves her human shape, the blaze in the fireplace crackling merily.

  
  


-

  
  


Brian aimlessly wanders through the piles of the dragon's Hoard, which apparently now included himself. He forces down a twinge of bitterness that in this metal form, he fits right in with the mounds of gold and jewels. He tries to ignore how trapped he feels, and how scared that if he stopped moving he would fall asleep again and not wake up for another decade or so.

"Oh. Hello."

Brian snaps out of his reverie and blinks at the woman sorting through one of the piles. He’s...embarrassed to admit that he doesn’t remember her name. In his defense, it was a remarkably busy evening. "Hello...?"

"Ivy. I'm the archivist here. You're Brian, right?"

"Yes? I am Brian." He’s relieved that she doesn't call him Prince or any sort of related title.

"Were you looking for anything in particular?" Ivy asks.

"No. I just..." Brian hesitates before asking. "Can I...leave? Like go outside? It's okay if I'm not allowed..." He grimaces as the customary purple fluid wells out of gashes that swiftly open up and then seal up on his lips.

Ivy blinks at the obvious magic, but doesn't ask. "Yes, of course. I have - a garden? If you'd like to see it? Or we could go down to the local village, if you'd rather."

"Garden?" Brian’s sure his face is doing something embarrassing, but he can’t bring himself to care. "You have a garden?"

Ivy smiles at him and stands. "I do. It's this way." She leads him through the confusing maze of the Hoard with an ease clearly borne of experience.

Brian immediately relaxes once they reach the entrance to the cave. It’s a beautiful day, with clear skies and a brisk breeze. 

Ivy glances at him as she starts down a clear path towards a barely-visible garden. "Do you like plants?"

"Very much." Brian says softly. "I...can't properly feel things like this but I can still smell them."

"It's probably not as pretty as you're used to," Ivy warns. "I've mostly used it for vegetables and herbs, but Raphaella has added some more...esoteric things. Not for ornamental purposes, though."

Brian shrugs looking down at the ground. "I don't care. I was sleeping for so long in the castle and trapped inside for longer than that. I just...want to be outside."

Ivy hums. "Is it - would it be rude of me to ask what caused that liquid to appear earlier?"

Brian looks at her. "Ah...It's okay. I just...forgot that not everyone knows about it?" He touches his lips before saying . "I have a curse that produces poison every time I lie. The problem is that it takes small things like meaningless platitudes and excuses to be lies."

Ivy frowns. "Do you...know the precise wording of the curse? Or whether it's the sort that can be broken?"

Brian sighs deeply. "It wasn't meant for me. The original curse was 'Foul deeds come from foul words. Cease them now lest your thoughts become swords.' Or something of that nature."

"Not intended for you?” Ivy asks, confused. “How - that's not supposed to happen."

"When I was born," Brian says, a bitter tone to his voice, "a witch gave me a blessing. 'Your son will attract the sorrows of the world and change them into joy.' Being around me lightens people's spirits. It also - unfortunately - makes me a target for any curse cast upon anyone around me."

"That doesn't sound like a blessing. More like a curse disguised as one." They arrive at the garden. Ivy begins tending the plants, but her attention is clearly still focused on Brian. "Can they be broken?"

"Depends on the curse." Brian sits on the ground with a sigh. He settles his arms on top of his knees. "Almost all of them will break with a kiss. Most of the time as long as there is some degree of care, platonic or romantic, between me and the other person, the curse will break. Rank plays a part too. I've kissed servants and not had a curse break, but kissing a knight or lord or lady will."

Ivy tilts her head to the side, pausing in the middle of dislodging a particularly stubborn weed. "Do you want me to try? I don't know if it will work - I'm not, to my knowledge, any sort of nobility, but I also don't know whether being a dragon's archivist would count as rank for the curse..."

Brian blinks at her. "I...If you're sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you only just learned about this?"

"I don't see how that's relevant,” Ivy says. “It's a thing that causes you suffering, and there is a chance I can alleviate it. Of course I’m going to offer.”

"Oh. " Brian is - touched. Unreasonably so, perhaps, but...it's a rare kindness.

Ivy shrugs. "As I said, there's no guarantee it'll work, but. Worth a shot, right?"

Brian nodded, licking his lips slightly. Not that it would really change anything. Metal lips couldn't get chapped after all.

Ivy brushes the dirt from her hands and kneels next to Brian, leaning in to kiss him gently. Brian hums softly as he kisses her back. After a few moments, Ivy pulls back, studying his face curiously.

Brian hums softly, mentally checking his curses. _-your presence makes people content but any curses that are cast on them are attracted to you- any lie that passes your lips will cause them to leak poison- repressing your emotions will freeze your heart and the ice will spread until you are frozen solid unless you accept those emotions- your personality will be swapped using the trigger words "Ends Justify Means" and "Means Justify Ends"- every sunrise you will turn completely into metal and every sunset you will revert to flesh until your True Love kisses you-_ "Ah! The cat repelling curse is gone!"

Ivy laughs. "Cat repelling?"

"All cats within 5 feet of me automatically attacked and hissed at me," Brian says sadly. He brightens. "But now they won't!"

Ivy grins at him. It’s adorable - nope. Not doing this. Brian is definitively _not_ thinking about how cute the dragon’s archivist is. "That's good, given that the wards are sort of cats."

"They are?" Brian asks, interested .

"Sort of,” Ivy says, as _something_ furry and tentacled materializes in her arms. As she starts scritching it behind its ears, Brain manages to process it as a calico cat with eight tentacles instead of four legs. “Raphaella set them up, she says they wanted extra legs."

"Oh, it’s adorable!” It really is, once Brian got past the instinctive _wrongness_ of its shape. “Weird, but adorable!"

Ivy holds it out to him. "They're very friendly. And cuddly."

Brian carefully reaches out and lets the creature sniff him first. "What are they called?"

“I call them octokittens. Because they mostly have eight legs.”

The octokitten sniffs his hand briefly before mrrping and flowing up his arm.

Brian smiles at the octokitten and pets it, carefully gentle. "Are they soft?"

“They are. Slightly...askew, though? From normal cats. At least based on the ones the locals have.”

"That's fascinating,” Brian says, laughing as he feels the octokitten start purring. “Maybe when night comes I can pet them more and feel it."

“Another one of your curses?”

"...Yes...an older one. I...I have had it since I was ten or so? Roundabout. "

Ivy nods but doesn’t pry further. She leaves him to cuddle the octokitten and goes back to her work.

Brian pets the octokitten quietly for a while before asking, "How did you end up here? You said that you are an Archivist and that you're the dragon's but how did that happen?"

“Ah. Well, one day a bit over ten years ago I woke up in the woods over there-“ Ivy waves a hand vaguely away from the mountain “-with no memory other than my name and the words of the curse inflicted on me. Walked a few hours, found the village just down the path, the woman who let me stay the rest of the night mentioned that there was a dragon on the mountain, and that was that.” 

Brian stares at her blankly. It doesn’t seem like she’s trying to be vague and mysterious… "You just. Encountered a dragon and got them to take you in?"

"Ah, no. I simply talked the wards into letting me in and started organizing their hoard. Ashes didn't even notice I was here for seventy-three days."

Brian chuckles. "They were that unobservant?"

Ivy grins. "It's less that they were unobservant and more that this place used to be a complete disaster. Also, I started with the library because I thought they were less likely to notice that, and I wanted evidence of my usefulness before introductions."

"There's a library?" Brian asks, excited.

"Yes. I'll show you later, if you'd like."

"I really would." Brian sighs, smiling. He thought about the information that Ivy had told him and said, "You just archived for 73 days?"

"I mean. I did have to eat and sleep occasionally. But yes, there was a lot of work to do. And it's far from complete, even now."

"Do you want any help?" Brian offers, before he can talk himself out of it.

Ivy blinks at him. "Would you. Be interested in that?"

Brian nods. "Spent a lot of time in the library back home." His expression sours. "Well. What I thought was home."

"Could you clarify that?"

"When... When the sleeping curse was put on me, a man who I had been raised to believe was my uncle told me that he had kidnapped me as a child and raised me as a way to keep him from being cursed."

"Oh. That sounds like a very distressing revelation."

"It was. My home, my actual home, went into civil war after I was kidnapped."

"That is one of the risks of hereditary monarchy," Ivy responds, then winces. 

Brian huffs a soft humorless laugh. "I never liked being a Prince. Not the way Unc- King Cole wanted me to be."

Ivy is silent.

Brian is quiet before saying softly. "You are lucky to not remember your past..."

Ivy shrugs. “Eh...I am lucky that the village was within walking distance, and that it was Ashes, and that the shoddy construction of the curse comes with some benefits. The actual memory of the past aspect I’m a bit more...neutral on.” She waves it off. “It doesn’t matter anyway. What’s done is done.”

Brian hums and looks at the entrance of the cave. "Yeah...What's done is done..."

"...do you want to sit out here for a bit longer?" Ivy offers.

"...Yes please."

"May I. Sit by you?"

"Please do." Brian says, trying to mask his relief at the offer.

Ivy sits down next to him, just barely not making physical contact.

Brian leans over slightly so that their shoulders touch and relaxes.

Given permission, Ivy leans against him quietly.

Brian starts humming softly as she leans against him. Brian starts softly singing after a minute. It is a song that, from how he breathlessly interrupts himself, is supposed to be a duet.

"...Can you teach me the lyrics? If - it sounds like a duet, so - " Ivy is quite visibly flustered, face almost as red as her hair.

Brian ducks his head, fidgeting with his fingers. "O-Oh? You like it? I wrote it myself..."

"I don't really - I think I have no vocal training? But I do know some music, and yes, it sounds very nice."

Brian asks, "Do you want the first part or the second?"

Ivy hums, considering. "Ah - let me hear both, and maybe I'll be able to figure out which one is more in my range?"

Brian nods and closes his eyes as he sings one part and then another for her. The bits he sings as examples of the range paints an image of unwilling deception between two lovers.

"Second, I think."

" ... Very well. " Brian starts singing the first part. A pained look crosses his face as he sings. "But I find this metal demon, spinning falsehoods into gold..."

Ivy does not ask. She sings somewhat hesitantly, but hits the notes.

As the song finishes, Brian looks sadly down at his hands. He cannot cry but his shoulders shake slightly as if he is.

Ivy presses against his side.

Brian leans back with a shaky gasp.

"Are you-" Ivy cuts herself off with a sigh. "Is there. Anything I can do?"

"C-Can you please hug me?" He whispers.

Ivy wraps her arms around him. "Do you want - weight helps me, sometimes, I-"

" _Please._ " He tries and fails not to sound desperate. Ivy moves onto his lap and clings to him. Brian holds her as tightly as he dares and shudders against her, choking out tearless sobs.

"...you can hold on as tight as you need,” Ivy says quietly. “I can't break. Not in any way that matters."

"D-Don't want to hurt you..."

Ivy sighs and hugs him tighter.

Brian closes his eyes. He focuses on the weight of Ivy in his arms and the quiet birdsong from the trees around them. He’s not sure how long they sit like that, but eventually he feels Ivy’s grip on him loosen. He glances down at her curiously to find her...asleep.

Brian technically doesn’t need to sleep, not in this form. He hasn’t slept much since he was cursed with it. And he...really doesn’t want to, not after waking up from a decade. All things considered, Brian is not the most informed about sleep, and so _really_ doesn’t know what to do about Ivy apparently deciding to nap on him. Is this normal? He glances at the octokitten for aid, but it’s discorporated at some point, leaving him without any backup. 

Brian bites his lip nervously. If Ivy’s exhausted enough to fall asleep hugging a complete stranger, she presumably needs the rest? Is that how it works? However, a metal man can’t be a comfortable pillow...Brian sighs and very gently attempts to shake her awake. After a moment, Ivy blinks up at him, somewhat dazed.

“You, ah. Fell asleep?” Brian offers awkwardly.

“So it seems,” Ivy says. “My apologies, but your clockwork is quite soothing.”

Brian stares at her blankly. “I - it’s what?” Every other comment he’s received on his metal form has, to put it mildly, violently contradicted her statement.

“The sounds of your internal mechanisms,” Ivy clarifies. “The gears and ticking balanced against your heartbeat - I am realizing that this is a very odd compliment but it is correct, they are simply pleasant to listen to.”

Brian just gapes at her, at a complete loss for words. “I - suppose I’ll have to take your word for it,” he manages weakly as the silence grows painful.

“As you should. I should probably finish what I was working on, though,” Ivy says, shifting slightly.

“Oh! Right, of course.” Brian lets go of her with almost panicked speed. 

Ivy doesn’t seem to notice his emotional turmoil, instead simply smiling at Brian and resuming her gardening. Brian closes his eyes with a sigh to enjoy a pleasant afternoon outside _without_ any internal crises.

  
  


-

  
  


Brian continues to find more mysterious corners in the hoard. This one seems to be primarily occupied with a massive pile of pillows. He almost flops onto it before noticing that someone is already there, half-hidden under blankets and cushions. Brian lifts one corner of a blanket up and cautiously says, "Hello?"

An exhausted-looking man with dark hair sits up slightly to greet him. "Oh. Hi."

Brian carefully sits down next to him. "I'm Brian."

"Hi, Brian." He visibly takes a couple moments to remember his manners. "Marius. Is my name. Hi."

Ah. So this is Marius. It would be rude to start introductions by mentioning that everyone seems deeply concerned for his emotional wellbeing, so Brian chooses his words carefully. “Ashes mentioned you. Are you here as their knight?”

"Not really? I'm technically the designated...human expert."

Brian blinks. "Designated human expert?"

"Ivy was bad at self care before I arrived. She's better at it now. I think she might have simply absorbed my powers."

“I’ve been...claimed as Hoard?” Brian says. “Still not entirely clear on what that means, but. I’m here now.”

"Ah, cool. Ashes also claimed me. They're good though. Very kind."

"Yeah. They are from what I've seen."

Marius nods. "How are you holding up?"

Brian shrugs. "Okay I guess? I spent about a decade asleep in my castle so I'm a bit wary about going back to sleep now."

"Valid of you. I have been unsuccessfully attempting a depression nap."

"Oh...Do you mind if I stay?"

Marius shakes his head. "I don't mind. Probably better to not be alone anyways..."

Brian settles down next to him.

Marius closes his eyes, head tilting slightly towards Brian. "Where are you from, originally?"

"You mean where was I born or where I was kidnapped to?" Brian asks.

Marius opens his eyes. "Uh. Both, I s'pose."

"I was kidnapped to and raised in New Constantinople." Brian says softly. He hesitates before saying. "I was...I was born in Aufhocker."

Marius blinks. "Wait a second. What was your name again?"

"Brian?" Brian cautiously says. He shifts, ready to bolt if Marius reacts negatively.

"You - you're the fucking lost prince. I'll be damned." Marius laughs, though it's a little hollow. “Probably just as well you were kidnapped, Aufhocker is a shithole."

"So I heard it became after my parents died." Brian quietly says.

Marius grimaces. "Sorry. That was...insensitive of me. Just...s'where I'm from, too. Wasn't a pleasant place to grow up."

Brian hums softly. "No offense taken. I…” He winces. “I probably would be dead if Cole hadn't kidnapped me."

"Well. Small blessings, then."

"I also got to meet everyone here. I...It is nice to have...friends?"

"Friends is a good word for it,” Marius agrees. “They're nice."

"I've...I've never really had friends before..." Brian admits.

"I had a grand total of one before I came here." Marius's gaze goes a little unfocused at that, his earlier somberness returning in full force.

"Well, you have people here now. Including myself, if you’re - interested, in being friends," Brian points out.

"Yeah. I do. Thank you. I do appreciate it, I just...I'm...I'm grieving."

Brian hesitates before asking. "Can I hug you?"

Marius shrugs. "If you want."

Brian gently hugs Marius, trying to radiate as much comfort as he could. Marius closes his eyes and settles into Brian's embrace.

Brian gently rubs his back as he feels Marius start crying. "It's okay. I'm here."

Marius starts to ugly-sob into Brian's chest.

Brian hums softly to try and comfort him. It's a soft lullaby that he barely remembers from when he was very, very small. His research indicates that it's a common lullaby in Aufhocker.

The tune seems to startle Marius out of his sobs for a second. The tears don't stop though, just keep flowing as he leans his head against Brian’s chest.

Brian falters and mutters a curse in Gaelic. He starts again, trying to recall the tune as much as he can.

Marius's hum is quiet and cracked as he picks up the tune. Brian joins him, relieved to finally have the rest of the fragmented song from his memory. Marius's voice cracks again on the final note.

"Thank you for helping me remember." Brian says softly. "I...I only recalled fragments..."

"Happy to help," Marius says, voice thick with tears. Brian rubs his back some more before digging into his pocket to offer Marius a handkerchief. Marius accepts it and wipes his eyes, offering Brian a watery, sad smile Brian smiles gently back at him.

"Thanks. You're... very kind."

"I try my best to be."

"I appreciate it.” Marius sighs deeply. "Sorry I'm probably not very fun to hang out with."

"I think you're alright." Brian pauses before asking. "You said before that you had one friend before coming here? Do you...Want to talk about them?"

Marius bites his lip. "They are..." he winces and corrects himself. "They were... the most amazing person I've ever known. I...we were both knights, and they - they died. On a quest. And I never got to say goodbye. I never got to tell them I love them."

"I'm sorry you never got a chance." Brian sincerely says. "What... What was their name?"

"Lyf. Lyfrassir." Marius's voice cracks again

Brian hums softly, rubbing his back again. It couldn't be the same Sir Lyfrassir, could it? Best not to ask. Marius was already distressed enough. No need to make it worse while he was still in mourning.

Marius just continues to weep. He eventually cries himself out and dozes off against Brian's chest, exhausted and sad. Brian shifts slightly so that there's a pillow between them, for comfort purposes, before curling around him. He’s had more people fall asleep on him in the past few days than the entire rest of his life combined. Brian thinks he could grow used to this - to being the sort of person that inspires that trust.

  
  


-

  
  


It’s about 3 in the morning and Brian is exploring the lair again. There’s not much else to do in the middle of the night. It’s not always the best atmosphere for reading, despite what Ivy insists, and he doesn’t want to wake any of the others. This time he was specifically looking through the various tunnels that were riddled through the mountain. Brian pauses when he sees someone carving something into the wall. He studies her massive wings with awe. He waits until she pauses in her work so he doesn’t interrupt anything delicate.

"Are you Raphaella the witch?"

She startles and turns to face him. "Oh! Yes. That's me. Sorry, did I wake you up?" She frowns. "I thought I'd gotten the sound-muffling right."

"I was already awake." Brian shrugs. "Metal during the day means I don't feel tired at night."

"Huh." Raphaella squints at Brian, tilting her head to the side slightly. Brian quashes the thought that it’s a remarkably birdlike motion. "Oh, wow. If you're ever looking for like, revenge or something on whoever did all that to you and you need a witch, I'll help out. I've been doing everything for hoard members for free anyways, but even if I weren’t I would definitely do that for free. Yeesh."

"What do they look like to you?" Brian asks curiously. "My curses I mean."

"Mmm. Have you ever seen those spiky sea creatures? They're basically a ball with spikes? It looks like someone stuck one of those on you and set it to draw in a bunch of snarled skeins of yarns." Raphaella rummages around in her sleeves and pulls out a piece of paper. She sketches out something round and spiny, covered with a bunch of tangled yawn.

Brian leans in to get a closer look. "It looks like a...what are they called? Those spiky ball plant things that get caught on clothes..."

"Oh! Yeah. A bur! You're right, that's a good analogy also."

"So the hooks on this...Bur-like curse catches at other curses?"

“Yup!” Raphaella sighs, wings dramatically shifting with her shoulders. “Curses...I don’t really do them! Not my style at all! But I did learn a lot about them. When they’re first settling in it’s possible to change them. I think the bur-curse would catch them then, before they have time to really mold themselves around the intended victim, and drag them to you. It’s nasty work.”

"Do you want to know the phrasing of that exact curse?" Brian asks her.

Raphaella shrugs. “In the morning? Right now, no guarantee it’ll actually stick in my mind. S’pose I could write it down if you do want to tell me now.”

Brian nods. "Tomorrow morning will be fine. Anywhere where I can find you?"

“Oh, probably my workshop. I’ve mostly been in there, anyways.” Raphaella blinks and her wings fluff. “Actually. Do people know where that is? Should I make a map from the kitchen?”

"Outside of Ashes and Ivy, maybe Marius, I don't think anyone knows where your workshop is," Brian confirms. "A map would be welcome."

“Oh. Whoops. Wondered why I hadn’t met more people.” She scribbles a map on the back of the sea urchin drawing and hands it over. “Here! You can share it with anyone.”

Brian smiles at her, taking the map. "I will. Thank you."

“Yeah! Nice to meet you. Oh- Uh, what should I call you?”

"Brian." Brian inclines his head politely at her.

“Great! Brian. If you’re up late and you hear noise from the workshop, feel free to pop in, I love to chat.” Raphaella turns back to the rune. “I’ll do it now, if hearing me chat about this won’t bore you.”

Brian leans against the wall nearby. "Not at all. I know a bit about magic but I'm always eager to learn more."

"Alright! Just let me know if you want me to explain anything further." Raphaella resumes working. “I’m trying to make the inside of Ashes' lair comfortable in all seasons. I’ve been developing these Controlled Air runes. Been workshopping them for quite a while, to be honest. It's hard to calibrate them, and I want to do that on empty corridors! If things get...uh. Hmm. Not explosive, really, there’s nothing here that should blow up, but it’s important to be careful! So early morning work only. Don’t want anyone getting caught up in messy prototype business.”

Brian listens as Raphaella explains the minutiae of her design choices. He adds his own observations based on what he recalls of the magic runes from Camelot's climate-controlled gardens.

After maybe an hour or so Raphaella starts yawning. "Ah. The witching hours. Over. I'm going to go to sleep, Brian. Have a nice night?"

Brian smiles and nods, standing up himself. "I should get off to bed anyway. It’s almost dawn."

"Alright. See you later, Brian." Raphaella covers up the rune by sliding it a bit back into the stone and covering it with more stone. "Nice meeting you, goodnight,” she says, stretching and wandering deeper into the tunnels.

"Good night! See you tomorrow!" Brian waves, turning to head back towards his own room. Raphaella seems quite interesting. Getting to know her should be nice.


	3. Chapter 3

Nastya wanders, exploring her new surroundings. She wants to learn as much as possible about what they're signing up for before agreeing—not so much for her own sake, but she'd sooner die than let Jonny feel trapped and owned again. Eventually she reaches the massive library Jonny had mentioned; she wanders inside, looking around at the shelves.

Making her way through the shelves with no particular destination, Nastya almost trips over the body on the floor. Nastya panics for a moment before she manages to recognize that it’s Ivy. Nastya stares down at her, uncertain. She seems to be asleep. Should Nastya leave? Is this normal? Nastya considers, then decides she can’t waste the opportunity to talk to the archivist without Ashes present. She clears her throat lightly.

Ivy starts awake with a yelp. She rubs her eyes, dazed for a moment before managing to visibly focus on Nastya. “Um. Hi?”

"Hi," Nastya says awkwardly. "I’m sorry for waking you."

“Wasn’t asleep,” Ivy says. “It’s no trouble, ah - what should I call you?”

"Nastya is fine. Nastya Rasputina."

“So, Nastya, what brings you to the library at this hour?”

"I was just...wandering. But...now that I'm here..." Nastya hesitates before kneeling in front of Ivy, watching her face carefully. "I need to know," she says quietly. "Now that they're not around. Are you really safe, here? Are you happy? Are you free?"

Ivy blinks, then smiles at her. “Yes. I am safe, and happy, and free. I appreciate your concern, that you would check.”

"I just…” Nastya sighs. “I need to know what we're getting into. We've— I'm not— I can't let him feel like a prisoner."

Ivy studies her. “You two seem to care very deeply for each other. You won’t be prisoners - never of Ashes, and hopefully never again. I’m not sure your brother is necessarily...open to that realization.”

Nastya laughs bitterly. "No, me neither. He's...Trust doesn't come easy to him." Not to her either, but her trauma is of a slightly different flavour to his. "And of course we care for each other. He's the only real family I've ever had, and I'm his." She can't hold back a small, wistful smile. "Us against the world."

Ivy shifts, then winces when she bumps her head against the shelf behind her. “I’m sure you have questions. Do you want to sit down somewhere a bit more comfortable and I’ll see how many I can answer?”

"Oh, um. Sure." Nastya gets to her feet.

Ivy stands and leads Nastya through the shelves to what looks like a massive pile of pillows. She sits and gestures for Nastya to join her. 

Nastya sits down, keeping her distance from Ivy. She carefully runs a hand over her hair to make sure her ears are still covered.

Ivy relaxes back against the pillows, knees curled up against her chest. “So.”

"So." Now that she has the opportunity, Nastya isn't sure what to ask. "...How long have you been here?"

“Ten and a half years, roughly.”

"Oh. That's quite some time." Nastya furrows her brow. "And it's never been...You've never felt...afraid?"

Ivy considers. “I was at first, when I wasn’t sure if they’d accept me,” she admits. “Other than that, no.”

Nastya looks thoughtful. "I see." She rubs at a round silver scar on the back of her hand. "And...they can really keep us safe? We won't have to hide anymore?"

“Yes,” Ivy says confidently. “They can. Even if, through some weird circumstances, being hoard wouldn’t be enough, we have other resources. Magical texts, Raphaella’s expertise - you will be safe here,” she promises.

Nastya nods. "Alright." She sighs. "I think I believe you. I'll...talk to Jonny."

“Please let me know if you have any other questions.”

Nastya thinks for a moment before blushing slightly. If anywhere has the knowledge in question, it would probably be a dragon’s hoard... "I, um. Do you know anything about fire spirits?"

Ivy frowns. “Not offhand, but there are a few books that should have relevant information?”

"Could I have a look at them? Please?"

“Yes, of course, I’ll show you.” Ivy makes her way to a particular section of the library. It looks the same as the rest to Nastya, but Ivy selects four volumes and holds them out to her.

Nastya gratefully takes the proffered books. "Can I borrow them or should I read them in the library?"

“You can borrow them. Just let me know when you’re done so I can reshelve them properly?”

"Of course. Thank you, Ivy." Nastya gives her a small smile.

Ivy smiles back at her. “I hope they’re useful.”

"Me too." Nastya shifts a bit on her feet. "I should... probably get back to my room."

Ivy blinks, seeming confused by the concept. “I should...probably do the same. Get some sleep. I have been told it’s important. Repeatedly. At length.” She glances at Nastya. “Do you know how to get back?”

"Oh. Probably not. I was just going to wander until I found it again."

“I’ll show you, then.”

"Thank you." Nastya smiles and follows Ivy back out of the maze of shelves.

When they arrive outside Nastya’s room, Ivy hesitates, then perfectly mimics one of Jonny’s best dramatic bows. She watches Nastya’s reaction anxiously.

Nastya giggles and blushes a bit. "Goodnight, Ivy."

Ivy smiles, pleased. “Goodnight, Nastya.” She gives a cheerful wave and heads off to another room.

  
  


-

  
  


Jonny is in a common room, looking over some sheet music he borrowed from the library and practicing the new song on his harmonica. It's been a while since he read sheet music, so sometimes the music comes out a little discordant.

A stranger walks in. Jonny glances up suspiciously at him. He doesn’t look like a threat - more like a sad mess.

"Hey," Jonny says.

"Hey." The stranger nods and flops down into a mass of pillows in the corner of the room with a grunt. "Ow."

"Uh. You alright?" Jonny asks hesitantly.

"No. S'fine though."

"You don't look fine," Jonny points out.

"Thanks. Not fine is the aesthetic I've been going for lately."

Jonny frowns. "What, are you waiting for Ivy and Ashes to notice?"

"Oh, they've noticed."

"And they're not bugging you about it?" Jonny is still very new to the group, but he gets the feeling that Ashes would pester him constantly if he was in a funk.

The man grimaces. "They're trying to be gentle, probably. I'm sure they'll get there. I’m Marius, by the way."

"Oh." Jonny doesn't know what else to say. He doesn't really want to pry. "Jonny. D'you know how to read music?"

"Yes. Need some help?" Marius seems grateful for the topic change.

Jonny nods. "It's been a while. I keep forgetting what's what."

Marius struggles out of the pillow pile and installs himself next to Jonny, peering over his shoulder at the sheet music. Jonny refuses to flinch at his closeness, instead pointing out the spots where things keep sounding wrong. He plays what he thinks it reads like, watching Marius’s reactions warily, but he doesn’t seem angry at the flubbed notes. Marius corrects him gently and then grabs a violin so Jonny can match the pitch. Jonny follows Marius's lead on his harmonica. With his help the song flows more smoothly.

"Want to do another one?" Jonny asks once they have the first song down.

"Sure. I just realized it's been...a couple weeks since I did anything with music..."

Jonny hums. "That happens. When I'm in a shit mood I don't like playing."

"Yeah...I...haven't felt like doing much of anything. I'm glad that I kind of have to keep to a schedule here. Otherwise I feel like I would have just...stopped. Not like - died, obviously, but like. Just stopped doing things."

"That sounds shitty," Jonny says, not knowing how else to respond. "How about this one?" He hands Marius another sheet of music.

Marius takes it with a nod. "This one's a little more complicated." He walks Jonny through this piece as well, relaxing a little into the music.

Jonny follows Marius's lead, though sometimes he gets ahead of himself and messes up. He can’t help but get frustrated with each mistake, scowling at every sour note. Jonny tries futilely to control his expression. Marius may not be an official teacher, but he’s been Hoard longer and Jonny doesn’t want to piss him off by failing.

Marius stops playing for a second, so Jonny’s probably doing a shit job of hiding his mood. "Are you okay?"

Jonny shakes his head. "I'm fine. Just been a while."

"You seem frustrated. We can take a break if you want. "

"I'm not-" Jonny snaps and then cuts himself off. He flinches ever so slightly. "Yeah, alright."

"Do you want, like, a snack? I'm good at cooking."

"Sure. What do you cook?"

"Just about anything, so long as we have the ingredients. Used to be a bit of a street rat so I had to make do with what I could steal and carry."

Jonny nods. "I was better at playing for my supper than stealing," he admits.

"That's a smart way to make some coin,” Marius says with an approving nod. “May I also recommend pretending to be a knight so hard you con your way into a barony?"

Jonny snorts, then does a double take at his expression. “Shit, really? That's fucking impressive."

"Well, I didn't do it alone." Marius laughs, though it's a little melancholy.

"Still a damn good con," Jonny says. He stands up and stretches.

Marius stretches too. "Really it was my...Lyf who was impressive. I'm nothing special." He gestures for Jonny to follow him and heads off, presumably towards the kitchen.

Jonny rolls his eyes. "The way Ivy and Ashes say it, you wouldn't be here if you weren't special." He pockets his harmonica and follows.

"I'm special in that I was stupid enough to go to a dragon's lair a second time after being told never to come back simply because I thought Ivy was in danger."

"That is pretty dumb," Jonny agrees. 

When they reach the kitchen, Marius starts throwing some food together for the both of them. "That's probably the real reason Ashes keeps me around. I hold the fantasy world record for being the biggest idiot in the land."

"Pretty sure dragons don't suffer total idiots," Jonny says.

"Well I also take care of their Ivy. Do you have, like, allergies or things you can't eat?"

"Nope. Why do you have to take care of Ivy?" Jonny asks, leaning against a counter.

Marius nods and continues making food. "She was bad at the whole human eating and sleeping schedules thing when I arrived."

"Oh. Cause she lived in a cave?" Jonny took a long time to figure out normal times for food and sleep himself, but that was because he'd been so used to being worked to the bone. He’d half thought Nastya was fucking with him when she explained normal human schedules.

"She's just a workaholic. She's done pretty much all the organization in this place. She told Ashes humans eat once a day."

"I can't imagine only wanting to eat once." Jonny shakes his head.

"Neither can I! I love food."

"Going hungry sucks," Jonny agrees. They settle into a surprisingly comfortable silence as Marius cooks, eventually presenting a plate to Jonny with a flourish.

Jonny wolfs down the food. "This is great," he says.

"Thanks. Glad you like it." Marius seems quite a bit happier. Weird, given that all Jonny’s done is waste his time and take his food. 

"Have you met Nastya yet?" Jonny asks. She’ll probably appreciate having someone to duet with.

"No. How many people did Ashes and Ivy bring back??"

"Me, my sister, Brian, and that fire spirit."

"Ah. Okay. I did meet Brian. He's nice. Wild to meet a literal living legend from my home kingdom."

Jonny shrugs. "We were there to see if we could break the curse. I feel bad for the guy. He's just covered in curses."

"Yeah. That and the shitty uncle thing. I can't relate to the curses but paternal figure issues is... something I know well,” Marius says, expression falling again.

"Wouldn't know anything about that," Jonny says. "Curses are easy. Family is weird."

"Family is weird,” Marius agrees. “One day you're killing your father with your bare hands and the next day you're married to someone who was trying to arrest you and you're raising a dog together and the next-next day they're dead and your family is now a dragon and their hoard of misfits."

Jonny just stares at Marius. That statement wasn’t...exactly directed at him, so it probably doesn’t need a response, right?

Marius sighs, burying his face in his hands. “Sorry. I. Shouldn't have dumped that on you! That was shitty of me!"

Jonny waves a hand. "You did just help me with music and make food. Least I can do is listen."

"I feel like cooking food and helping with music require a lot less emotional labor than listening to someone infodump about their trauma," Marius argues.

Jonny shrugs. "It's not like I'm telling you what to do about it. Shit sucks. Would you feel better if I complained about stuff?"

"I don't know. Maybe?"

Jonny thinks for a minute, trying to think of something he could say. "I was taken by the fairies when I was a toddler. They kicked me out when I got too old to sing how they liked. The Queen has my heart in a box somewhere." He doesn't look at Marius as he talks.

"Christ. Your...your  _ heart _ ?"

"Yup." He tries to say it like it's not a big deal, but he can't look at Marius. He pokes at his chest, "Nothing in there but stone."

"That's...fucked up."

"That's life with the fae," Jonny says. "Want me to get the dishes?"

"Sure. Thank you." Marius’s face is baffled and deeply concerned. For some reason.

Jonny takes the plates and pans and gets to work. He realizes he's never actually  _ told _ anyone about the heart thing. Nastya was there. No one else needed to know.

"I'm sorry that happened,” Marius says after a long, heavy silence. “That's...probably not worth much but...you seem like a cool guy. I hope things are better for you here. They will be for me. Once I'm done grieving."

Jonny nods. "Ashes says they can help, so. Uh. Sorry your life sucks too."

Marius laughs a little. "Thanks."

"I'm gonna be honest, it feels wrong to say 'you're welcome' to that."

"That's okay. I wasn't really expecting that. This has been. Just. A wild conversation. But it's been... surprisingly...helpful."

"That's... good?" Jonny offers.

"Yeah. I think it is."

"Glad to help."

"Thanks."

"No problem." Jonny keeps working on the dishes, managing to not flinch too badly when Marius comes over to help him. He’s quiet again, but it feels relaxed. Jonny starts humming, suppressing a smile as Marius joins in on the familiar folk tune. He might be able to get used to this.

  
  


-

  
  


Nastya has managed to find a nice quiet alcove. She wants to be out of the way—she's not trying to bother anyone with her playing. She has her borrowed violin with her, and she spends a while just looking at it, stroking her hands over it reverently, before she can bring herself to put her bow to the strings. She starts out slow and quiet, improvising a lilting melody, and lets that flow smoothly into the start of a melancholy folk song. It's a beautifully made instrument; the sound is clear and bright.

Nastya cycles through folk songs she's learned with Jonny. She's really missed being able to play. Learning an instrument is one of the few good memories she has from their time with Carmilla, and she wasn't happy about having to sell the violin she stole from her when they ran. It's nice to have one again, even if it's borrowed.

Nastya looks up, startled, when she sees movement by the doorway. She stills her hand. There's a human man watching her. Historically, that's never been a great situation for her to be in. She tries to tell herself that if he's here, that means Ashes trusts him, but she can't keep her body from freezing up in fear, eyes wide and heart beating rabbit-fast. At least her ears are covered. He might think she's human. She might be safe.

The man quickly picks up on her fear and takes a step back. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I-I'll just go."

Nastya is...confused. She manages to find her voice. "No, it's... fine. Um. Did you... What were you...?"

"I-I just heard the music, was curious. No one else around here plays the violin."

"Oh." She eyes him uncertainly. "You just...want to listen?"

He nods. "It's okay though, if you don't want me to. I can just go."

Nastya shakes her head slowly. "No. You can stay, if you want." He definitely thinks she's human, if he's being this polite to her. It'll be fine. She'll play some music and he'll leave thinking she's a nice human woman.

Nastya hesitates for a moment, watching him sit on the floor against the wall, and then starts playing Rose Red. Even with a stranger watching her, it's not hard for her to lose herself in the music. She smiles despite herself when she hears him start humming along. Once the song is over, she transitions to another common folk song, a bit livelier and better for humming or singing along to.

Nastya grins when she hears him start singing the lyrics. After the song, she pauses, still smiling. "Any requests?"

"Pump Shanty?" He gives his own little smile, though he still looks a little tired and sad.

Nastya nods, smile softening at his evident exhaustion. "I can do that." She starts playing Pump Shanty. He sings along, his smile getting a little bigger. 

It's different from playing while Jonny sings, but still fun. When they get to the fast part, Nastya counts down and then plays it dizzyingly fast. He actually laughs when they hit the last note. It’s an infectious sound, and Nastya giggles a bit. She lowers her violin. 

"I like your singing,” Nastya tells him.

He blushes a little and ducks his head. "I like your playing. You're much better than I am."

Nastya blinks. "You play the violin?"

"Oh. Yeah. I mean, not  _ well _ . I'm...rusty. And self-taught."

"Well...If you ever want to practice, I'd love someone to play with. I promise I won't judge. And I'm sure you're better than you give yourself credit for." She suddenly realises she hasn't even introduced herself before offering violin lessons; she blushes a bit. "Oh, um— I'm Nastya."

"Oh. Marius." He holds out his hand to shake.

Nastya cautiously shakes his hand. Her sleeve rides up a bit when she stretches her arm out, exposing some odd circular silver scars on the back of her wrist; she hastens to tug her sleeve down and pull her hand back, smoothing her hair down over her ears self-consciously. She clears her throat. "So, are you... um... hoard?"

“Yes, I am.”

Nastya nods. "I see. We haven't really...decided yet. My brother and I. About the hoard thing."

"Yeah. My hoarding was...kind of an accident but...it sort of worked out? I have nowhere else to go, anyways."

Nastya gives him a small, melancholy smile. "Neither do we. Never have."

"Well..." he trails off, then seems to brush off whatever he was about to say. "I hope you like it here. The people here are really good."

"I... Yeah. I think I do like it. I think Jonny does too. But he doesn't like to feel trapped, so...we'll see."

"Yeah, that's fair,” Marius says. “Ashes won't force you to stay. They...they hoarded me accidentally but they weren't going to force me to stay, even if it would have hurt them for me to leave."

"I know they won't, but it's." She sighs. "It can...Knowing something and trusting that it's true are two different things."

"Yeah... I get that."

Nastya sighs. "Anyway. As long as we're here, the offer stands. I'd be happy to play with you, and to help you if you need it."

"I'd love to."

She smiles. "Great." She considers for a moment, weighing her learned fear against the knowledge that Ashes and Ivy trust him, and then slowly and deliberately, hand only trembling a little bit, brushes her hair behind one ear.

Marius doesn’t react. Nastya's entire body language visibly relaxes and she breathes a sigh of relief.

"Should I go get my violin?"

Nastya lights up. "Oh! You want to? I'd love to hear you play!"

"Yeah, I can do that! I'll be right back!"

"Alright!" Nastya grins at him.

Marius gives another small smile and jets off to grab his instrument. Nastya plays a bit while she's waiting for him to return, just some scales and other simple things to keep herself occupied. It’s only a few minutes before he returns, gesturing with the violin in his hands eagerly.

Nastya watches him tune it with a smile. "How long have you played?"

"I played it for about...three years? Before I lost my violin. And then I didn't play for a few years because I couldn't afford another one and then when I could, I didn't have time to. And then I came here and got access to like All the violins so I was playing for a few more months and then I stopped again for- reasons." 

Nastya nods in understanding. "I...I played for a few years, but then we. Um, we had to leave the situation we were in, and we...I mean. We had to eat. So I sold my violin. And then I didn't play again until I got here. It's...been a while."

"It's nice to be able to play again." Marius smiles sympathetically.

"It is." Nastya smiles back. "Do you want to play something for me?"

"Sure." Marius gets in position as he considers and then starts playing what sounds like a lullaby. Nastya listens appreciatively. Marius holds out the last note, glancing at her.

Nastya applauds, grinning at him. "I knew you were underselling yourself."

Marius blushes. "Thank you..."

"Do you want to try playing something together?"

"Sure. Have anything in mind?"

Nastya thinks for a moment. "Do you know Greensleeves?"

"Yep! I can do that."

"Great!" Nastya smiles and positions her violin. She starts playing the melody, leaving room for Marius to join in. He flubs a few notes here and there, but Nastya doesn’t care. It’s just nice to play with someone. She’s grinning when they finish the song.

"That was fun,” Marius tells her with a smile.

"It was! You're wonderful to play with, Marius."

"Thank you. So are you."

"I'd love to do this again, if you want."

"I'd love that too."

Nastya smiles softly. "Perfect. I think I should head back - see what Jonny’s up to - but I hope I'll see you around?"

"Yeah. I do most of the cooking and cleaning so I'll be around."

A troubled look flickers over Nastya's face for just a moment, but she quickly smooths it out. "Why?"

"What?" Marius asks, confused.

"Why do you do most of the cooking and cleaning? You're not the only person living here."

"No one else knows how to cook." He shrugs. "Most people clean up after themselves so that was a bit of an exaggeration."

Nastya nods slowly. "Alright." She's reasonably satisfied that he's not being taken advantage of.

"I'm very serious about them not knowing how to cook. They're really bad at cooking. Ivy has literally accidentally set herself on fire."

Nastya laughs. "So you're saving them from themselves."

"That I am. A real hero.”

"Well. I can cook. So if we stay...you won't have to do everything," Nastya offers cautiously.

"That's a relief."

Nastya grins. "I've got your back."

Marius smiles shyly. "Thank you."

"Alright, well." Nastya gets to her feet. "This was really fun. Thank you." She smiles at him.

"Thank you too."

She makes a little aborted movement, as if to hug him, then thinks better of it.

Marius holds out his hand for another handshake, and Nastya shakes his hand, a bit awkwardly.

He smiles. "Thank you, really. The music was really helpful."

Nastya smiles shyly. "I'm glad. I hope we can play together again." She takes a step back, clutching her violin. "Goodnight, Marius."

"Goodnight, Nastya."

She gives him a little wave and then heads back to the living area in search of Jonny.

  
  


-

  
  


Nastya knocks on the doorframe as she enters the library. "Ivy?"

“Come in, Nastya.” Ivy looks up from her book.

Nastya smiles and approaches Ivy. "Hi. Do you have a moment?"

“Certainly.”

Nastya sits down next to Ivy. "I, um. I was wondering. You and Ashes are... involved, right?"

Ivy closes her book and sets it aside. “Yes, we are. Why?”

"Well. Um. How did you…” Nastya gestures vaguely. “How did that happen? How did you get them to be interested in you?"

Ivy blinks at her. “I assume you are looking for advice or inspiration? I am...I mean. I’m definitely willing to tell you about it, but I don’t think this will be as helpful as you hope.”

"Advice, yes." Nastya looks a bit embarrassed. "I don't really... I've never... I don't have any experience with this sort of thing."

“I didn’t either. My primary advice would be to. Use words? And communicate desires? I didn’t. Actually do that myself, mind, but things probably would have gone a bit faster if I had.” She drums her fingers on the book cover. “Other than that. I can tell you the story, and maybe it’ll have something useful? I guess?”

"I'd love to hear it,” Nastya says, relieved.

Ivy blushes. “I hope it doesn’t lower your opinion of me overmuch.” She hums, considering. “Probably best to start at the beginning...”

"I promise to still respect you," Nastya says with a grin.

Ivy laughs slightly. “So. Jonny’s mentioned that I’m cursed, right? And yes, this is relevant.”

Nastya nods. "Yes, he said."

“So. I woke up in the woods with no memory other than my name and the words of the curse inflicted on me. Walked a few hours, found the village just down the path, and the woman who let me stay the rest of the night mentioned that there was a dragon on the mountain. Obviously, I talked the wards into letting me enter and moved in.”

Nastya blinks. "...Obviously?" she asks, skeptical.

Ivy nods. “Yes. I had an unknown enemy powerful enough to tear through my defenses like they were nothing. I had these earrings - they’re iron, I don’t have them on me of course - but anyway they had. Layers of defensive spellwork. Which did nothing.” Ivy shrugs. “Hoard magic is Old Magic, and I knew that was the only thing that would be strong enough to protect me.”

Nastya remembers seeing the earrings and grimaces. "Oh. I guess that makes sense."

“I, ah. Didn’t exactly introduce myself? I just. Started creating the library from the absolute mess that the hoard used to be.”

Nastya snorts. "You just...secretly moved in?"

“...Yes. I did. Ashes did notice me, eventually.”

"What did they do?"

“Threatened to kill me for being a thief, naturally. So I...” Ivy winces, her next words coming out in a rush. “...told them I was their archivist and gave them my Name?”

Nastya's eyes widen. "You  _ gave them your Name? _ After they threatened to kill you?"

“I did,” Ivy admits. “I did do that.”

Nastya stares at her. "That was…” Maybe the stupidest fucking thing she’s ever heard, and she challenged the Court for her brother. “...risky."

“You are a true master of understatement,” Ivy sighs. “Overall, I. Confused and/or entertained them enough to not get killed. They asked to see my archiving progress and agreed to let me stay?”

"And then you got together?"

“...Well. No.” Ivy drums her fingers on the book in her lap. “I realized I was Hoard after a week or so, and in love with them after a couple months. But we...didn’t actually. Get involved sexually or explicitly romantically for. Ten years?”

Nastya makes a skeptical face. "Ten years?"

“...Yup.” Ivy is blushing. “Turns out it is. Very easy to fall into a pattern. When things are not communicated.”

Nastya sighs. "Thank you for telling me, but. You were right. That's not very helpful."

“My apologies, yes. It’s...” Ivy sighs. “What finally led to that changing was Marius. Disruptions to the status quo can have a lot of effects. But there’s a reason my advice, unhelpful as it is, is to Use Words.”

Nastya waves her off. "Don't apologise. You're right. I should just... talk to her. But it's." She looks down. "She's... incredible. She's so beautiful, and she's powerful. I'm just...a scruffy changeling."

Ivy hesitates, then gently flicks her forehead. “That. Is the exact sort of nonsense I was telling myself for ten years instead of actually Communicating.”

Nastya smiles slightly. "I see." She doesn't know how to say  _ the only person who's ever wanted me around is Jonny. _

Ivy sighs. “Please try talking to her? Based on prior experience, odds are good you’ve already done something extremely romantic without realizing it.”

Nastya blushes. "I mean. I did break the curse by kissing her. But that's not— She wasn't even awake. She didn't ask for that. It doesn't mean anything."

Ivy shrugs. “Maybe you should double-check. You broke her curse, right? That seems like the sort of thing that would have Significance.”

"That's just...being nice to her. Helping her. It's not romantic."

Ivy raises an eyebrow. “How do you know? Have you asked?”

"No," Nastya says, a bit defensively. "But it's— She was so excited to meet a dragon. She was so happy. It's not... She doesn't need  _ me _ . I don't have anything to offer her."

Ivy pinches the bridge of her nose. “Okay. So. Let’s put a pin in that first point for now. Maybe even if she doesn’t  _ need _ you, she wants you? And you can’t say for sure that you don’t have anything to offer, Nastya, I’ve found your company quite enjoyable even in our limited time together.”

Nastya looks a little surprised. "You have?"

Ivy blinks at her. “Yes? I like talking to you. Or just. Quietly being in your company.”

"Oh. I... Thank you. I like your company too."

Ivy smiles softly at her. “...thank you. Anyway, returning to that first point. Whatever interest Aurora has in Ashes - and I am uncertain whether it’s romantic, or more...hmm. Innate magical compatibility? - That doesn’t preclude her being interested in you.”

Nastya shrugs. "Maybe not, but. She doesn't react to me like that. I don't... affect her."

“How do you know? Interspecies communication can be...” Ivy trails off, blushing faintly. “The only way to know is to ask.”

Nastya sighs. She's quiet for a moment. "...Ivy, it's. You have to understand. My real parents gave me away. My adoptive parents hated me. Everyone in the village I grew up in hated me. Jonny was the first person to ever be kind to me after finding out what I was. I don't...I've never been wanted. I can't just... It's hard to imagine that I'm anything to her."

“I...may I hug you?”

Nastya nods. 

Ivy hugs her tightly, gently running her fingers through the ends of Nastya’s hair. “I’m sorry that happened to you, and. I understand why you can’t accept it right now, but you are wanted here.”

Nastya tears up a bit, which. Wow, that's embarrassing. She nods mutely.

Ivy rubs her back. “If you need to hear it again, please ask me? Okay?”

"Okay," Nastya says quietly.

Eventually Nastya takes a deep breath and pulls away. "Can I stay here for a while? You can keep reading."

“Yes, of course. Would you - like to. Continue cuddling?”

Nastya nods, her cheeks a bit silver.

Ivy is also blushing as she curls up against Nastya’s side, returning to her book. Nastya wraps an arm around Ivy, stroking her hand idly through her hair as she relaxes against her.

  
  


-

  
  


_ Nastya is running. She can't remember who's chasing her, can't remember why--all she knows is that if they catch her, they'll hurt her. Maybe kill her. And she doesn't want to die. The ground tears at her bare feet, sticks and rocks and thorns digging into her skin--she's probably bleeding by now, but she doesn't have time to stop and check. She can hear them behind her, shouting as they chase her. She's so small, and so alone, and she's not fast enough, she knows she's not. Tears sting her eyes and blur her vision as she runs. _

In her bed, Nastya whimpers and clutches at the sheets, tears running down her cheeks.

There is a warm hand on her shoulder. Nastya startles awake with a sharp intake of breath, squinting a bit against the bright light. The flames dim to a soft, candlelight glow, and Nastya can see that it’s Aurora. She's safe.

"'Rora?" she says sleepily, voice thick with tears.

“You’re in the hoard, you’re safe, how can I help?”

Nastya sniffs and wipes at her eyes, a bit embarrassed that Aurora's seeing her like this. She scoots over on the bed a bit to make room. "Hold me?" she says quietly. "Please?"

Aurora sits on the bed in a swirl of sparks, managing to not singe any of the bedding. She holds her arms out to Nastya. Her posture is a bit awkward, but Nastya can read the concern radiating off of her.

Nastya takes Aurora's hand and tugs on it a bit. "Come here," she says softly. "Lie down."

Aurora obliges. Nastya wraps her arms around Aurora and pulls her close, burying her face in her neck. She takes a few deep breaths. After a moment, Nastya can feel a hand in her hair, more fingers of flame than a human would have, working through the tangles with impossible gentleness. 

Nastya takes a deep breath, trying to not start crying again at the delicate touch. "Thank you," she mumbles. "For waking me up. I don't-- I'm still not used to... being alone."

“Would you prefer I wake you up during nightmares going forward?” Aurora asks quietly.

Nastya nods against Aurora's neck. "Yes please."

“I will,” Aurora says. Her presence surrounds Nastya, warm and safe. 

"Thank you, Aurora." Nastya closes her eyes with a quiet sigh as she feels something approximating a hand rubbing her back.

“You don’t need to thank me.” Aurora pauses. “I - would like to do nice things for you.”

Nastya blushes. "I'm not very used to that," she says quietly. "But I-- I want to do nice things for you too. I...care about you."

“I care about you too,” Aurora admits. “And. Sorry for lurking in your fireplace while you were sleeping. I don’t... know much about mortal social norms, but that seems to violate them.”

Nastya pulls back a bit so she can look at Aurora, brow furrowed. "What? No, it's. I don't mind. I think it's...nice. That you're here. You can lurk in my fireplace whenever you want." She gives her a shy smile, mentally berating herself for phrasing that offer like one of the sleazier pick-up lines tossed around in bars.

Aurora smiles back at her, then tilts her head to the side. She raises a hand to Nastya’s face and slowly increases her fingertips’ temperature. Nastya's breath hitches at the sensation. It doesn't hurt, but it's warm, and it tingles. She can feel her tears sizzle and evaporate. She looks at Aurora, starry-eyed and blushing.

As the last of Nastya’s tears evaporate, Aurora lowers her temperature again, but doesn’t remove her hand. Nastya leans into her touch. After a moment's hesitation she turns her head slightly so she can kiss the palm of her hand. Aurora's cheeks flare with heat in an extremely literal manner. Nastya can feel the change as she blushes white-hot.

Nastya smiles softly at Aurora's reaction. She licks her lips. "Can I— Um. I'd really like to kiss you," she says quietly, barely above a whisper.

Aurora's blush intensifies. "I think I would also like that."

Nastya swallows and nods, then leans forward, eyes fluttering shut. She very gently presses her lips to Aurora's. Nastya sighs softly against Aurora's mouth, heart pounding in her chest. She holds her close as Aurora returns the kiss carefully.

Nastya pulls away after a while, watching Aurora with something like awe. "I'm...sorry that you were asleep the first time I kissed you," she says, blushing. "And I'm really glad you wanted to do it again."

"I would be very interested in making this a reoccurring activity, yes."

Nastya's smile widens. "I'd like that," she says, a bit shyly.

Aurora hesitantly leans in and kisses her again. Nastya makes a soft, pleased sound against her mouth and puts a hand on her cheek. Her heart races as Aurora leans into the touch.

Nastya keeps kissing her for a while before reluctantly pulling away. She keeps her hand on Aurora's cheek.

"As much as I'd like to keep kissing you all night, I think I should probably get some more sleep..."

“Do you want me to stay with you?” Aurora offers. Nastya dares to think that she sounds a bit eager.

Nastya narrows her eyes a bit, contemplating. "Isn't it more comfortable for you to be in the fireplace?" She lights up. "Oh! I know." She kisses Aurora's cheek, then pulls back. She grabs the covers and her pillow, bunches them up in her arms, and carries them over to the floor in front of the fireplace. She makes herself a little blanket cocoon right by the fire, then looks up at Aurora with a grin.

Aurora curls up in the hearth next to Nastya, crackling affectionately.

Nastya closes her eyes and enjoys Aurora's warmth. "Night, Aurora," she says sleepily.

“Goodnight, Nastya,” Aurora says quietly. “Sleep well.”

Nastya smiles and lets herself drift off to sleep, warm and safe and not alone.


End file.
